Coaling-station or storehouse for coal, &amp;c.



No. 731,965. PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903. F. SNARE, G. TRIEST & J. A. MONICOL. GALING STATIGN 0R STOREHOUSE FOB. GOAL, &o.

APPLICATION I 11 1 01. N0 MODEL. P LED' MAY I 9 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 731,965. PATENTED JUNE 23, 1903. P. SNARE, W. TRIEST & J. A. MONICOL. GOALING STATION ORSTOREHOUSE FOR GOAL, &o.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11, 1901. N0 MOBIEL.. 2 SHEETS-SHEETAZ.

UNITED STATES .Patented June 23, 1903.

PATENT OEEICE.

FREDERICK SNARE, WOLFGANG G. TRIEST, AND JOI-IN ALEXLMCNIOOL, A

OF NEW YORK, N. Y. 'y

COALING-STATION OR STOREHOUSE FOR COAL, 8.00.`

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 731,965, dated June 23, 1903.

Application filed May 11, 1901. Serial No. 59,810. (N0 model- To all whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that we, FREDERICK SNARE, WOLFGANG G. TRIEsT, and JOHN ALEX. Mc- NICOL, citizens of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ooaling-Stations or Storehouses for Coal, itc. 5 and We do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to coaling-stations or storehouses for coal, dac.; and the objects of the same are to provide a strong and durable building for storing coal, etc., and to provide means for conveying the coal to a point near the top of the building, where it is discharged through any one of a series of openings onto the iioor of the building, there being a series of tunnels underneath said floor to accommodate cable-railways and hopper-like openings in said floor to expeditiously load cars when it is desired to convey the coal to a vessel for shipping.

Our coaling-station is designed to be erected on navigable streams and to be built in connection with a steel wharf or pier adapted to accommodate large coaling vessels. A cable-railway leads from the upper portion of the pier to the top of the building, and the coal is loaded into du mping-cars and conveyed to the building and discharged therein. When it is desired to load other vessels or steamerswith this coal, slide-doors under the openings in the floor of the building are moved to one side and cars on cable-railways running in tunnels under the ioor are loaded and taken out on the wharf and discharged into the vessel or steamer. One of the advantages of this method of handling coal is the facility with which the coal may be stored and discharged. Another advantage of still greater importance resides in the fact that the coal is discharged from the bottom of the pile, and in case of fire, which invariably starts at the bottom of the pile, the live coals can be quickly removed and the great body of coal saved. In buildings as heretofore constructed it has been impracticable to reach the burning coal except by removing the great mass of coal from the top of the pile until the iire was reached. lVe have provided means of ready access to the floor-line or bottom of i the vcoal not only by a series of openings in the iioor, but by providing openings and chutes at the sides of the building, the floor being inclined at this point for discharging the coal by gravityV through said openings in case of ire. Ve have also provided reliable and efficient means for Ventilating and accuratelydetermining the temperature at many different points within the pile of coal. To prevent the lower layer of coal from overheating, the cars under the floor may be loaded and conveyed to the top of the building and discharged in 'order to effect a redistribution and consequent chan ge of temperature. IVe have also made provision for storing a certain quantity of coal in bags for immediate use when required. At convenient points under the floor we have provided compartments for storing these bags and have made a convenient arrangement for the ready access by teams to said compartments.

Ve attain the objects and advantages above referred to by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a transverse sectional elevation of a building constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is asectional plan view on the line 2 2, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is atransverse section taken through one of the hopper-like openings in the floor. Fig. et is a section on line 4 4c, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a bottom planview of the sliding door for closing each of the hopper-like openings in the floor of the building.

In said drawings the numeral l designates ssA the foundation-walls of the building, said ,walls being preferably of rubble and anchored within a bed of cement filling. These walls are of a height to form tunnels 2 and com` partments 3 underthe floor of the structure.

The numeral iE designates the lower iioor of the building, said floor being constructed of strong metal girders resting upon the walls l. At proper intervals in this floor hopper-like IOO openings 5 are provided, said openings being arranged centrally above the tunnels 2. As shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, these hopper-like openings in the floor rest upon I-beams and channel-irons, and the sides of the hoppers are bolted to iianges secured to the I-beams and to the sides of the hoppers. At the bottom of each hopper a pair of rails 6 are secured, and a sliding bottom 7 carries a series of rollers S, mounted to move on the rails 6. A lever E), fulcrumed at l0 to the bottom of the floor, is connected by `a link ll to the sliding bottom 7 for opening and closing the bottom of the hopper, as will be hereinafter described. The opposite sides of the floor 4 are somewhat inclined, as at 4, and the outside walls l are provided with openings lb, which may be kept normally closed by slidedoors, constructed and operated similarly to the sliding bottom 7. A discharge-chute 1C may be suspended by chains at the bottom of the openings ib to permit the coal to be discharged by gravity from the inclined portions 4f of the floor in case of emergency. Immediately under the inclined portions 4 of the floor are the compartments 3 for storing coal in bags for immediate use, and immediately adjoining these compartments the hopper-like openings in the iioor are provided with sliding hoppers l 3, designed for tillin g the i bags 14 to be stored in the compartments 3.

A cable-railway system or any suitable means for quickly handling coal may be utilized. As shown, cable-railways pass through the tunnels 2 immediately under the hopperlike openings 5 in the floor 4. v

The roof l5 of the building is constructed of strong metal beams and corrugated roofingplates, and the central upper floor 'li is supported upon heavy columns 16, A superstructure 17 covers this floor 1G to provide shelter for the incoming cars or conveyers. The iioorl is formed of metal girders for supporting the railway-ties, the spaces between the girders and ties providing openings for discharging the coal, as shown at the right i in Fi 2. Cable-tracks 19 are supported upon tending` the length of the building, each of said chambers having a series of hopperthe cross-ties, and dumping-cars 2O of any suitable construction may be utilized for conveying the coal from barges or vessels lying 1 at the wharf. Spreaders 2l of strong sheet metal are hinged centrally under the openings in the i'ioor to properly distribute the coal as it is discharged from the cars 20. The inclination of the spreaders 2l may be adjusted by means of chains 22, secured to said spreaders and passing up to a suitable winding mechanism. These spreaders may be mounted to slide on a guideway in order that when it is desired to dump the coal directly through the openings between the girders the spreaders may be moved out of the way.

The building may be iilled with coal to any desired height. For Ventilating the coal-pile and for accurately determining the temperature at different points and at any height of the pile we have arranged a series of perforated metal pipes 24,properly braced from the columns and extending up through the body 0f the coal and down through the iioor 4. At the lower end of each pipe 24 a cap 25 is litted, and if it .is desired to take the temperature at any point a thermometer is inserted within the pipe and permitted to remain long enough to take the temperature, when it may be withdrawn for inspection. Air passing in at the top of each pipe passes out through the perforations therein and circulates throughout the coal-pile..

From the foregoing it will be understood that the coal is stored in the building by the incoming conveyers or cable-cars 2O and that the coal is discharged from the building at any time by the outgoing conveyers or cars under the iioor in the tunnels 2, the bottom 7 being moved by the lever 9 to let the coal through. If the temperature of the coal rises to a degree beyond the safety-point, the lower layer may be removed by loading the cars through the floor-openings and running these cars out and up to the top of the building and discharging them through the openings in the floor.

A very important feature of our invention resides in the facility with which the coal can be reached in cases of fire or other emergency. The coal can be discharged through the hopper-like openings 5 into the cars and carried out, the openings lh can be utilized for discharging by gravity from the inclined portions 4 of the floor, and teams may be used for carrying the bags of coal from the compartments 3. The means for Ventilating and takin g the temperature of the coal-pile are also important factors in an extensive coal plant.

Vvhat we claim as our invention isl. A plant for storing, and distributing coal, provided with a top iioor, consisting of an open framework, permitting the passage of coal 'to the floor below; tracks on said iioor extending lengthwise of the building; cars adapted to run on said tracks; a second floor, divided into horizontal solid sections, forming the floors of partitioned storage chambers, ex-

shaped openings, and doors, extending longitudinally of the building beneath the tracks of top door, and a third, or basement Iioor, beneath the second floor, having a series of tracks in alinement with the hopper-like openings, as herein set forth.

2. A plant for storing, and distributing coal, provided with a top floor, consisting of an open framework, permitting the passage of coal to the floor below; tracks on said `floor, extending lengthwise of the building, cars adapted to run on said tracks; a second floor, divided into horizontal solid sections, forming the floors of partitioned storage-chambers, and having a series of hopper-shaped openings, and doors, extending longitudinally of the building beneath the tracks of top Iioor; inclined floors at the sides of the second Hoor;-

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hopper-shaped openings,or chutes, and doors, in the sides of the building, opposite said inclined side floors; a third, or basement door, beneath the second floor, having a series of tracks in alinenient with the hopper-like open ings; and bins, or storage chambers at the sides of the basement-floor, as herein set forth.

3. A storehouse comprising a lower floor, and an upper floor provided with dischargeopenings, a railway-track. supported upon said upper floor, and spreaders supported below the openings in the upper iioor.

4. ln a storehouse for coal, a series of Vertioally-arranged pipes extending through the coal-pile and through the floor of the building, caps for covering the lower ends of the pipes, Ventilating openings in the pipes, and means for admitting a thermometer within the pipes to determine the temperature of the coal at different points, substantially as described.

5. A storehouse comprising a lower floor,l

and an upper iioor provided with dischargeopenings, a railway-track supported upon said upper loorhinged spreaders supported below the openings on the upper iioor, and means for adjusting said spreaders.

In testimony whereof we aiiiX our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK SNARE. "WOLFGANG G. TRIEST. JOHN ALEX. MGNICOL.

Vitnesses:

ALFRED R. SAX, H. E. WAGENSELLER. 

